Blooming Out of the Nest
by NotebookStories
Summary: Thanks to him, she has grown. Now it's time to for the little flower to leave her home. [LilyJack, and sort of IrisLily, One shot, based on the human ending.]


**Blooming Out of the Nest**

Lily ran to Lupus Gate as fast as she could. She saw Jack Russell, the sole person responsible for giving her a new reason to live, walk away from Radiata, never to return again.

"Maybe," Lily stuttered, "Maybe this is for the better." There was no way that Jack would never want to be with her in the first place--she was an assassin after all. Plus, she could never replace Ridley. She was an innocent girl caught up in struggle between choosing the save the world or fulfilling her "destiny." Lily on the other hand had blood on her hands from the very start. She was an assassin after all.

She turned around slowly, and was surprised to see Iris there--with a bag full of Lily's stuff.

"Iris?"

"Go on. Get out of here." She threw the bag to Lily's feet.

"What are you talking about?"

"Don't play stupid." Iris crossed her arms. "Go after him."

"I can't do that."

"And why not?"

"Because..." Lily tried to come up with a good reason but there wasn't anything she could think of that could please Iris. "I--I still need to be trained by you!"

"Nonsense. I already taught you everything you need to know. Plus, he taught you the one thing that I couldn't--he taught you that you had a reason."

"A reason?" Lily asked.

"A reason to live outside the world of Void. Before you met him, all you did was hang out at Club Vampire all day until you got an assignment. Although you have never failed an assignment, I could tell that this wasn't the life that you wanted. No one in Void would have the guts to attempt to duel Elwen unless it was for money. Even then, no one in their right mind would do it, not even for five hundred-thousand dragols. You wanted something more out of this life than just a life of a Void bandit, and it was him who gave you that."

Lily started to look out the gates again. She could see still see him in sight.

"I've always told you that if you ever got a chance to get out of this life, than take that chance and never look back. Well, this is your chance, Lily. If you let him out of your sight now, then you'll never be able to escape this life that you hate."

"But I don't hate Void! I certainly don't hate you, or Rynka, or Ortoroz, or anyone else!" Lily started to protest.

"I never said that you hated anyone." Iris put her hands on Lily's shoulders. "I know we started out rough, but who doesn't start out rough in this life? The fact is, you're probably one of the best assassins Void will ever see. But just because you're good at something doesn't mean you want to keep doing it for the rest of your life."

Iris turned Lily around and made her look at Jack, who was slowly about to reach the horizon.

"You fought up against _dragons_ with this guy. Now if you were like any of the typical scum that hang around Void like Solo or Alba, you'd have run away from him, but you didn't. You fought along side him and stayed by his side until the very end."

Tears started to swell up in Lily's eyes.

"This is the perfect opportunity for you, Lily. This is my final assignment for you, Lily--follow him. I don't know where you'll go, but I can guarantee you it's better than living at Void for the rest of your life."

Lily took a deep breath. She turned around and gave Iris a hug.

"But I'm not her." Lily said. "I could never be her!"

Although Lily had never told her the full details of what happened at the City of White Lights or who Ridley was, Iris certainly had a good idea of what was going on.

"Then don't try to be like her. The fact of the matter is, she's gone now. And that boy is going to need someone to be with." The truth was, Iris didn't really know whether this was true or not, but it didn't matter. Even if he did reject her, at least Lily knew how to live on her own. She was a smart young woman--she could easily find another reason to live out there. It's a big world out of Radiata City.

"Thank you, Iris. Thank you, for everything." Lily said as she continued to sob. Iris could feel the tears pouring from Lily's eyes. Painful memories started to come back when she first met Lily. Back then, those were tears of frustration--someone who was desperate to find any reason for living, no matter how pathetic it was. Now though, these were tears of joy. Maybe "joy" wasn't the appropriate word. Bittersweetness, perhaps.

Iris pushed Lily away and looked straight into her red, swollen eyes. "Go after him. Go after him before it's too late."

With that, Lily let go of Iris.

"Tell everyone thanks. Thanks for everything." Lily said through her trembling voice. Iris just simply nodded.

She picked up her stuff and ran out of Radiata City to chase after the one thing she always wanted.


End file.
